!

Just as it had been during his first time executing Grasping Heavens, the moment Chu Chen reached into the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, a boundless force dragged his consciousness into an alternate dimension.

A hazy expanse of gray stretched out before him.

Chu Chen found himself standing upon an incredibly desolate planet, feeling utterly isolated, infinitesimally small, and adrift in the void.

Raising his head, he gazed upon a vast galaxy composed of billions of stars.

One after another, the stars flickered with a faint, pulsing light.

The closest stars shone with boundless radiance, blinding to the eye.

Those further away were a blurry haze, separated from him by billions of miles.

Yet even across such an unfathomable distance, Chu Chen could feel the terrifying energy and Pressure contained within them.

Among them was not only Saint King-level Pressure, but also Quasi-Emperor, and even Great Emperor-level Pressure.

At the very end of that vast galaxy, there even seemed to be a Pressure surpassing that of ancient Great Emperors...

Just a single glance from afar left Chu Chen dizzy. The spiritual power within his body surged violently, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Chen quickly gathered his mind, not daring to pry any further.

He knew that some terrifying, mysterious existences were far beyond what he could touch at his current level.

Although Chu Chen was a Child of Providence, surrounded by an extremely powerful Providence that could turn any peril into safety...

...this did not mean a Child of Providence was immortal or unkillable.

If one's virtue did not match their position, disaster would surely follow.

If one's talent was insufficient for their task, they would inevitably suffer for it.

If one actively courted death, even the power of Providence could not protect them.

Drawing on his previous experience, the moment Chu Chen's Divine Sense entered this alternate dimension, he reached out toward the depths of the starry sky.

In an instant, his fair, slender arm transformed into a heaven-supporting giant arm capable of plucking stars and seizing the moon.

"Hmm? This star actually..."

Chu Chen had originally intended to grab a star closer to him. Unexpectedly, the moment he reached out, a star deep in the universe actively resonated and flew straight toward his giant arm.

"I've never seen one throw itself into my embrace before. Interesting."

Boom!!

Chu Chen did not refuse. He controlled the giant arm to smoothly catch the eager star in his palm, and then his consciousness withdrew from the alternate dimension.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The moment his consciousness withdrew, the captured star transformed into a golden particle of light, hovering deep within Chu Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

"This... this is..."

"A cultivation technique?"

Chu Chen was stunned. Before he could react, the golden particle exploded, turning into a vast golden ocean that flooded his entire Sea of Consciousness in a sky-covering, earth-sweeping wave.

Intense pain filled every part of his body. Cold sweat broke out across Chu Chen's forehead.

Who could have imagined that a single technique could contain so much information that it nearly shattered his Sea of Consciousness and forced him into a dead faint?

As the pain gradually dissipated, Chu Chen regained his senses.

Looking inward at his Sea of Consciousness, several massive, shining golden characters hovered above the golden ocean.

[Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual!]

"So this is the name of the technique? To claim it can swallow even the heavens-what a bold tone!"

Chu Chen took a deep breath. Brimming with anticipation, he began to slowly comprehend this heaven-defying technique.

[Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual: Capable of swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth. Forcibly plunder the cultivation of others, forcibly swallow their Dao Fruits, and refine them for one's own use!]

Whoosh-

Seeing this, Chu Chen was utterly shocked.

In his understanding, cultivation required a cultivator to absorb the spiritual power drifting between heaven and earth, comprehend the Great Dao, and accumulate their foundation bit by bit before they could break through to the next realm.

But this Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual did not rely on bitter cultivation; instead, it forcibly plundered the cultivation of others.

Take it!

Take it!

Take it all!!

If... if this were true, wouldn't his arrogance pierce the heavens?

One must know that three years ago, after his great battle with the Empress Lin Shuwang, Chu Chen-the youngest Great Saint-level powerhouse on the Desolate Ancient Continent-had his cultivation crippled and was reduced to a mortal.

Now that his path of cultivation had been reconnected, he still had to start from the Qi Gathering realm and slowly progress.

Although he possessed a Top Grade, all-attribute, all-spiritual root that made his cultivation speed far surpass ordinary people, it would still be difficult to catch up to the geniuses and monstrous prodigies of his generation in a short time.

But with this Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual, things would be completely different.

Swallow! Swallow! Swallow!

Whether it was a demon race genius, a human prodigy, Spirit Stones, Spirit Mines, or even heavenly and earthly spiritual objects containing powerful energy...

He could forcibly devour them all and refine them for his own use.

In this way, all his lost time could be made up for.

Even the Empress Lin Shuwang-he could forcefully catch up to her!

"With such a heaven-defying technique in my hands, I must naturally comprehend and cultivate it immediately!"

Chu Chen sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the secret chamber. He calmed his mind, discarded all distracting thoughts, and began to earnestly comprehend the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual.

With such heaven-defying abilities, it went without saying that the complexity of the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual far exceeded ordinary techniques.

Comprehending it would be no simple task.

Fortunately, Chu Chen possessed the unprecedented and unparalleled Top Grade, all-attribute, all-spiritual root of the entire Desolate Ancient Continent. In terms of cultivation aptitude and comprehension, even the Empress Lin Shuwang could not compare.

His Divine Sense wandered through the golden ocean as incredibly obscure and complex incantations and runes instantly flooded his mind.

Here, Chu Chen forgot about time. He forgot about everything.

Time trickled by. By the time Chu Chen had achieved an initial comprehension of the entire Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual, he was completely stunned.

"This Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual is definitely a Great Emperor-level technique, perhaps even higher! Its value is simply incalculable!"

Cultivation techniques, much like Dharma Treasures, were graded according to cultivation realms.

Qi Gathering, Essence Condensation, Sea Expansion, Heaven Opening, Spirit Communication.

Divine Flame, Great Saint, Saint King, Quasi-Emperor, Great Emperor.

The path of cultivation had ten major realms, and correspondingly, techniques were divided into ten major grades.

Although the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual did not explicitly state its grade, while others might be ignorant, Chu Chen was all too clear.

Before his cultivation was crippled, as the Holy Son of the Ye family, he had naturally cultivated the Ye family's Great Emperor-level technique, the Minor Spatiotemporal Heaven-Piercing Art.

The Ye family's ancestors had produced a Great Emperor, though they had later perished. However, the Extreme Imperial Dao Weapon, the Heaven-Reaching Mirror, and the Great Emperor-level technique, the Minor Spatiotemporal Heaven-Piercing Art, still existed in the world, protecting the entire Ye family for generations.

This was the Ye family's true foundation and their hope for revival. Only direct descendants of the Ye family were allowed to cultivate it.

Chu Chen had once comprehended the Minor Spatiotemporal Heaven-Piercing Art and knew the terror and mystery of Great Emperor-level techniques.

But compared to the Minor Spatiotemporal Heaven-Piercing Art, the terror, complexity, and mystery of the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual far surpassed it.

That was to say, the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual was at worst a Great Emperor-level technique. But if one dared to speculate boldly, this Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual might be...

...something that had already transcended the limits of the human path and the dignity of a Great Emperor, reaching the ethereal realm of "Immortals."

Thinking about it, it made sense. Only such a terrifying existence could swallow the heavens and devour the earth, forcibly plundering the Dao Fruits and cultivation of others to refine for one's own use.

Who could have imagined that less than half a month after breaking away from the Ye family, not only had Chu Chen reconnected his path of cultivation, but with a mere Qi Gathering realm cultivation base, he now possessed two Great Emperor-level techniques.

One must know that Great Emperor-level techniques were the untold secrets of various Holy Lands and aristocratic families.

Looking at the entire Divine Flame Imperial Palace, even the Empress Lin Shuwang could not produce two Great Emperor-level techniques.

"I didn't expect that even with my Top Grade, all-attribute, all-spiritual root talent, it would still take me two days to achieve an initial comprehension of the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual."

Chu Chen stood up and retrieved a Cleansing Talisman from his Storage Ring. After activating it with spiritual power, a flash of spiritual light flickered. The dust on his body was instantly swept away, leaving his robes as clean as new.

Grumble...

His stomach growled loudly as a strong wave of hunger hit him. Chu Chen quickly took some dry rations and fruit from his Storage Ring to fill his stomach.

He had been so focused on comprehending the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual that he hadn't even noticed he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for two days and two nights.

"Hmm? Why isn't Yu Youwei on Chaos Peak?"

Cultivators at the Qi Gathering realm had not yet awakened their soul power and could not use Divine Sense to investigate their surroundings. However, with the Spirit Communication-level Dharma Treasure, the Locking Heaven Formation, in place, Chu Chen could use the power of the formation to investigate every single blade of grass and tree on Chaos Peak.

But when his divine thought swept across the entirety of Chaos Peak, he did not find Yu Youwei's figure. He immediately frowned.

Swish!

Mobilizing the power of the Locking Heaven Formation, Chu Chen's body turned into a streak of light, instantly appearing outside the palace gates.

"Where is Yu Youwei?"

Looking at the servants cleaning the palace, Chu Chen asked directly.

"Ah? R-replying to Master..."

Chu Chen's sudden appearance startled the two servants greatly. When they realized the person standing before them was their master, they quickly knelt and bowed, replying:

"Replying to Master, Steward Yu has gone to the Spirit Herb Hall. She said..."

"She said she wanted to purchase some Spirit Grass seeds for our Chaos Peak to plant in the spiritual fields."

The two servants spoke one after the other, but by the end, their voices grew quieter.

"But Steward Yu left very early. Now... now two or three hours have passed, and she hasn't returned."

"As for where Steward Yu is now, we... we lowly ones don't know."

Spirit Herb Hall?

The Spirit Herb Hall on Red King Mountain was not far from Chaos Peak. Purchasing Spirit Medicine seeds should have taken only an hour.

Now that two or three hours had passed and she still hadn't returned, there might be...

"Alright, you may leave!"

Chu Chen frowned. As he spoke, he used the power of the Locking Heaven Formation to appear at the foot of Chaos Peak in an instant, then headed straight for the Spirit Herb Hall.

He wanted to see for himself exactly why Yu Youwei had not yet returned!